Special Gift
by The Zero of Time
Summary: Seth sets out on a journey to become a Pokemon master. But not everything works out the best.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

**Hey everyone. This is my first story, so I would appreciate it if you tell things that need to improve. Thanks and enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

I opened my eyes and looked out the window. "It's finally here." I said. I climbed out of the covers, got dressed, and headed downstairs quietly.

I looked at the tree, lights shining brightly in the darkness. Beneath it I saw several wrapped gifts. I walked over to them, searching for one with my name on it.

I found a spherical object wrapped up for me. I also found a large box and a small box with my name on them. As those were the only ones for me, I put them over to the side.

Then there were footsteps. "Merry Christmas, Seth," my mom said as she entered the room.

"Which one should I open first?" I asked her excitedly. She gave me a smile. "How about the small box?" She said. I picked it up and tore off the paper.

Inside the box was a pair of black gloves. I gave my mom a big hug. "Thank you," I said. Next I grabbed the larger box and ripped the wrapping off. I found a dark blue and black hoodie, as well as a pair of black pants. I gave my mom another hug.

Just then my dad walked into the room. "Morning. I see you began opening your things." He said. my mom gave him a smile. "You came just in time. He was about to open the special present."

I picked up the spherical object and looked at my dad as he sat on the couch. "Go ahead. Open it." I took off the paper and held the red and white ball in my hand.

"Is this what I think it is?" I asked her. My mom just put on a smile.

I pressed the button in the middle and there was a flash of red light. Now, standing in front of me was a small fox with large ears. "Eevee!" It said.

We stared at each other for a while, until the Eevee decided to approach me. "Vee?" It said. I pet it on the head and it smiled at me. I smiled back.

"We're glad you like it." My parents said. I picked up the Eevee and looked at them. "I love it." I said. The Eevee then climbed on to my shoulder.

"Eevee!" it said. I pat it on the head.

"I think I'll call you Zia." I said. She smiled at me. _'I think she likes it,'_ I thought

I took Zia to my room, along with my other stuff.. She was very happy as she looked around my room. I placed her on my bed and sat next to her.

"Welcome to the family." I said quietly. she happily jumped on me, knocking me over. We both started laughing. "I can tell that we will be friends for a very long time." I said. Zia smiled at that statement.

I tried on my new clothes, and the seemed a little too big For me. _'I'll grow into them eventually,'_ I thought.

I put my previous outfit back on and placed the new stuff back in my drawers. I looked again at Zia. '_My life just got interesting.'_

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><p><strong>There's the first chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.<strong>


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

**I'll give you some background info. This story takes place in my own made up region, the Estrell region. I put a lot of thought into this story. Hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter 1**

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><p>"Seth!" My mom called up to me. I didn't move. "Seth! Get up! The professor is waiting for you!" Zia heard this and decided to help wake me up.<p>

"Eevee!" She said, shaking me. It was hard for me to ignore the physical contact, so I climbed out of bed and headed down to my mom. Zia was close behind.

I walked downstairs and saw Professor Pluto waiting on the couch. My mom came up to me looking mad. "How long will it be before you wake yourself up In the morning? It's already nine!" she seemed to yell. The professor looked at my mom.

"Please, Mrs. Anill. Don't worry about it." He told her.

The professor made a hand motion and my mom left the room. "Take a seat." He said. I walked over to the couch and sat, Zia sitting on my shoulder. The professor took a seat next to me.

"I don't believe your mother told you this, we are very close friends. Every week, she tells me whats been going on in your life. She told me many things about you. She told me how you spend most of your time with that Eevee of yours."

I looked at Zia, then back at him. "She also told me that you don't have very many friends. Aside from the Eevee." I sighed.

"Don't worry. Friends aren't always a good thing. Trust me." I looked back at him.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked him confused.

"That is a story for another time. Anyway, there is one thing in particular that I wanted to know. But you mother never said any thing about it.

"I want to know. Have you ever thought about becoming a Pokémon Trainer?" I shrugged. "I see."

"Being a trainer is a fantastic experience for many people. I have heard about how well you treat the Eevee of yours. I'm sure you'll be much happier with your life." I smiled. "I'll think about it," I said. The professor nodded.

"Well I better get going," he said. He stood up and walked towards the exit. As he left the room, he said, "Come see me if you decide to accept my offer. Don't let an opportunity like this go to waste." He then exited out the front door.

I turned to look at Zia, who had a large smile on her face. I stared at her. "Why are you smiling?" I asked. I didn't need to, for I already knew why. She wanted to go on an adventure with me, and she knew I did too. She just smiled wider.

My mom then entered as soon as the professor was gone. "What was that all about?" She asked me.

"Something about me becoming a Pokémon trainer." I replied. My mom looked at me in the eye and smiled. "I have no problem with you deciding to go, if you were wondering."

I laughed. "Good, 'cause I already decided that I would."

She looked happy. "I'll go make us some lunch. Don't leave without eating," mom said. With that, she darted off into the kitchen. Zia and I turned to each other and laughed loudly.

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><p>After lunch, I decided to go see Professor Pluto. I waved to my mom as I walked towards the lab. '<em>I wonder what choices I have for starters? I think saw something on TV about it, but I can't remember when,'<em> I thought, my house getting further and further away.

Shadow Village was a very small village. It only had 6 houses, a Pokémart, a Pokémon Center, and Professor Pluto's lab. It did sometimes get crowded by new trainers in the summer, trying to get their first Pokémon, but it was generally a very peaceful place. Everyone knew each other, so everyone is nice to everyone else. But not everyone was friends. Most were, but none were mine. At least they weren't mean, I guess.

After a few minutes, I could see the lab on the edge of town. I never did understand why he put it there. I stepped inside the building.

The inside of the building was surprisingly simple. There were a few small chairs to my right, a hallway to my left, and a counter in front. The counter was occupied by a woman. I approached her.

"Hello," she said, "How may I help you?"

"I'm here to see the professor."

"Of course. Come with me."

I followed her into a room that looked like a complete mess. There were several books all over the floor, shirts hanging over the bookcases, half-finished plates of food in the corner, and a very foul stench. I saw the professor on his computer.

'_How does he work in this environment?'_ I thought.

He turned over to me and smiled. "Thanks for bringing him here," he said to the woman.

"No problem," she said and left the room.

"So you've decided, I presume?" Zia and I nodded in unison. "Great," he said as he pressed a button on his desk.

Soon, there was a table in front of me. On top were three pokeballs. "These are your choices: Squirtle, Cyndaquil, and Treeko.

I remembered seeing these Pokémon on TV before. I can't believe that I couldn't remember before. Then again, it was only a commercial. All of them were fantastic ideas, but sadly I'm only allowed to take one.

"Think hard on which to pick," the professor said. He walked over to his desk, picked up a Pokedex and five pokeballs and handed them to me.

"You'll need these as well."He said. I looked back at the pokeballs.

Suddenly, the window in the room shattered, bringing a thick black smoke inside. Everyone in the room quickly began to cough. I thought I heard two voices laughing, but this wasn't the time.

I blindly navigated myself to the exit and opened the door as fast I could. The smoke quickly escaped the room and made the room visible. The professor and I looked at each other then at the table in front of us. The pokeballs that once stood there were gone.

"Oh well," Professor Pluto said. "I'm sure you could use that Eevee as your starter. It looks more than willing," he said. Zia cheered happily. I nodded and said thanks to the professor. "Good luck!" He called to me as I left.

I was walking out of the lab, thinking about what happened. '_Who was that laughing? Where did the Pokémon go?'_

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><p>When I returned home, my mom came over to me smiling. "So how'd it go?" I showed her the new Pokedex and pokeballs I got. "Cool. Have you decided when you're gonna leave?" I shrugged at the question. She still smiled. "I'm sure you'll decide sooner or later. I have to get back to working on dinner." She turned back to the stove and I went to my room.<p>

"I get the feeling that this may have been a bad idea." I said. I didn't want to tell mom what happened at the lab. Knowing her, she probably wouldn't let me go afterwards. She always has been over protective. Thinking it through again, however, it might have been a better idea to stay home.

But I want to do this. Zia wants to. We already went to see the professor, so staying home is no longer an option.

_'I guess I'll do it. For Zia.' _I picked Zia's Pokeball and drew a circle on it. '_That should make it easier to tell her Pokeball from the others.'_

Zia helped me pack all of my things just in case. If I didn't do it, mom will. I had packed an extra outfit, pajamas, deodorant, the 5 five Oran Berries I had, and the Pokedex and pokeballs.

With that taken care of, I began to think about when to leave. After much thinking, I decided to leave in a week. That way, I would be able say good bye to everyone and double check to make sure I had everything. I marked the date on my calander.

"This'll be fun for both of us." I said to Zia, who smiled and began sleeping on my pillow. I smiled.

'_I'm_ s_he'll enjoy this. I'll try to make us some more friends, try to beat all the gyms, and even challenge the Elite Four. This is just the beginning of an awesome journey.'_

I grabbed my bag and started packing my things into it. I smiled while I thought about what we would do on our journey.

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><p><strong>So there's the next chapter. Did you like it? If you did, than please review. It will really help me if you do. Thanks.<strong>


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokèmon**

**Chapter 2**

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><p>The rest of the time was very boring. I mostly just sat there waiting for time to pass. Zia tried to occupy herself, but that wasn't successful, especially for the fact that I wasn't playing with her very much.<p>

Mom tried her best to keep us active, but that also ended in failure. I guess playing checkers isn't the best solution to boredom.

But after all that waiting, the day finally came. Finally time to begin in my journey. I don't know why I didn't leave sooner. But it's too late for me to be upset about that.

My mom gave me a big hug. "Be careful out there, Seth. And call me when you get the chance." I walked over to the door and waved to my mom. "Bye," I said to her.

I stepped outside, feeling the spring breeze on my hair. I turned to Zia, perched on my shoulder. "Let's go," I said. walked all the way to the edge of town.

There I stood. Shadow Village behind me. Route 1 ahead of me. I've never set foot out of my home town. Not once. Now stood the opportunity to leave the behind me. I could feel the route calling me, pulling me forward. I took a deep breath and stepped ahead.

The first thing felt when I started the journey was relief. Which quickly turned to fear. '_What was going to happen to me without my mom there to protect me? Or vise versa.' _

My thoughts became interrupted by a loud scream. I turned around and I saw smoke drifting to the sky. Coming from the direction of my house. '_No.'_

I ran towards the smoke. As I thought, my house, the place where I lived most of my life, was now in flames. The screams came from inside, and I now knew that those screams were from my mom. Like instinct, I placed Zia on the ground and immediately ran inside.

The fire was very intense. I could see that this was no ordinary fire. Someone did this on purpose. I quickly ran to the kitchen and saw my mother passed out on the floor. With all my strength, I put her arms over my shoulders and dragged her out of the house.

Once I was a safe distance away, I collapsed on the ground. In the distance I saw a Charmander, looking at the burning building.

"You did this. . ." I muttered under my breath. The Charmander looked at me. Seeing my face full of rage, it ran into the forest.

I turned to my mom in horror. Her entire arm was nearly scorched black, her other being a dark red. Part of her shirt was burnt as well.

I fell back to the ground. I saw an ambulance coming just as I lost consciousness.

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><p>I opened my eyes to a bright room. Once my eyes had adjusted, I could see that I was in a hospital bed. I looked at my right arm and saw something wrapped around it. It was clearly covering a burn, because of what had happened at home. Home. I can't call that home anymore.<p>

Just then, a woman with light brown hair came into the room, holding a tray of food. She placed it on a table next to me.

"Thank goodness your awake," she said. "You've been out for a day and a half. Luckily, your burns weren't too bad, so they should heal pretty quickly." Her smile then faded as she muttered something about my mom.

"What happened to mom. Is she okay?" I asked her. Her face looked at me with sorrow. "I'm sorry, but your mother could not be saved, her burns were too severe. We did the best we could."

My face dropped. I wanted to hide in a corner and cry the day away. "You mean she. . .?" I started. The nurse just nodded.

I could feel the tears coming down, no matter how hard I tried to keep the in. The nurse then pulled something out of her pocket. Looking closer, I saw that it was the necklace that Mom used to wear all the time. She handed it to me.

"She wanted you to have this." She said, handing the necklace to me.

The necklace had a very thin black chain going around it. Attached to the chain was a small silver crescent moon charm. I stared at it, remembering all the time I have spent with her. Now she was forever gone.

I slowly finished the food she gave me.

The nurse helped me off the bed, gave me my stuff, and led me to the door. "Sorry about your loss," she said as I was walking out the door.

As soon as I was outside, I brought Zia out of her pokeball. She looked at my sad expression and tried to cheer me up by rubbing her head against my leg. I picked her up, and placed her on my shoulder. "Thanks, Zia," I said, rubbing her on the head.

The Pokémon journey was no longer a choice. I had no where else to go. I looked around to see where I was.

It seemed that I was in Light City. The closest city to Shadow Village. Didn't have large buildings, but it had a lot of buildings. Some of them were stores. There were about 4 clothing shops, 2 fruit shops, an electronic shop, and a shopping mall. It also had a gym.

'I'm surprised that such a large city is next to one of the smallest towns in the region.' I thought.

Most trainers would challenge the gym in every town, but I just wanted to clear my mind of the events that happened. I simply walked past the Light City Gym, straight into Route 2.

Route 2 wasn't particularly special. I seemed very similar to what I saw of Route 1. There was a dirt road going through with grass and trees at the side. Very basic stuff. '_I hope there aren't any trainers around here.'_

As I walked, one of the bushes at the side of the road began to shake. Zia jumpd off my shoulder and stared at the bush. Out of the bush came a small creature with a red horn on both sides of its head, which is covered with green hair. At least it looked like hair.

I decided to keep on walking. I just wanted time alone. Zia was confused about my reaction, but followed me forward. I felt something tugging at my leg, but tried my best to ignore it.

After about thirty seconds, I stopped I looked down to see that the Pokémon from before was holding on to my pants. It stared at me. When I looked at it, I could see that it was very sad. Almost as sad as me.

I got it off my leg and continued walking. '_Nothing can be as sad as me,_' I thought. I continued forward.

"Hey you!" A voice called to me. Startled, I looked in the direction it came from. I saw a little boy with a blue hat. "What?" I called back. He grinned. "I challenge you to a battle." I ignored him and continued to walk. The boy became agitated. "Don't ignore me!"

I stopped to look at him. "Sorry, but I'm a little busy," I told him.

Now he was even more mad. "I don't care if your busy. You have to battle me." He grabbed a pokeball from his belt and threw it at the ground. Out came a small armadillo-like Pokémon. "Sandshrew!" I said.

Zia decided to jump off my shoulder and get into a battle stance. This worried me. _'Zia's never been in a battle before. She doesn't stand a chance.'_

The boy didn't wait any longer. "Sandshrew, use scratch!"

It jumped for Zia and swiped its claws at her. Zia saw this coming and dodged it ease. I saw this, and one thing entered my mind. '_Tackle._' The next words came out uncontrollably. "Zia, tackle!"

Zia quickly charged at the Sandshrew and rammed it with her head. The trainer was surprised, and so was the Pokémon. It took the hit, knocking it into a nearby tree, fainted. "Sandshrew, return!" A red beam shot out of the pokeball, engulfing the Sandshrew. They both went back in the pokeball.

I saw his face. '_He must be surprised that I beat him,' _I thought. He stared at me, angry, then left.

Zia jumped back onto my shoulder and I was about to walk away. But at my feet was the red-horned creature from before. It seemed to be following me.

"Do you want to come with me?" I asked.

"Ralts!" It said as it nodded.

"Alright. You can come, I guess." It looked happy when I said that. I pulled out a pokeball and threw it at the Ralts. A red light surrounded it like it did for the Sandshrew, but when it was inside, the pokeball shook.

Me and Zia stared at it until it made a 'click'. '_My first Pokémon.' _I picked up the pokeball and released the Ralts. "Let's go," I said.

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><p><strong>There's the next chapter. Did you enjoy it? I hope so. I'm not the best at this whole writing thing. Please review. I makes me happy when people care. Thanks.<strong>


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